We Can Make It
by ChoCedric
Summary: If an onloker was to gaze at the scene, they would see five best friends and an adorable baby boy spending a pleasant evening together. But what they wouldn't know was the thick, awful tension beneath the surface, because it tried to remain hidden. Lily, baby Harry, and the Marauders share one last night before Halloween 1981.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: This fic was inspired by a very powerful song done back in the 90's by a group called Take That. The song is called I Can Make It, and I think it's supposed to be interpreted as a love song. But I think of it differently. The lyrics, the melody, the way it's so haunting and tragic, reminds me so much of the Marauders' last meeting it's uncanny. If you can, you should find the song and listen to it. It's amazing. Please let me know if you do!

I hope you enjoy this fic.

We Can Make It

By: ChoCedric

Sirius Black sat in the Potters' living room in Godric's Hollow, surrounded by the friends who had been there for him for ten years now, plus the girl one of them had married and who Sirius had truly grown to love. Lily and James were on one couch, Lily holding baby Harry in her arms. Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and himself were lounging on chairs. If an onlooker was to glimpse the scene, they would see five best friends and an adorable baby boy spending a pleasant evening together.

But beneath the surface, things were extremely tense. The war was in full swing, and no one knew who to trust anymore. It's so sad, Sirius reflected, that the days of youth can disappear so quickly, and friendships you thought could last forever become torn apart at the seams.

All four Marauders and Lily knew that someone in their tight-knit little group was a traitor. Someone was passing the Potters' movements back to Lord Voldemort. But none of them wanted to believe it. How could someone have gone so far astray? Sirius wondered how it was that the said traitor could look James and Lily in the eye right now and laugh with them, joke with them, reminisce about the old days with them when all he really wanted was them dead.

As Sirius looked to his right, he suspected he knew who that traitor was. The man in question looked haggard and worn, even worse than when none of his friends knew of his condition yet. Sirius had never wanted to think it possible of Remus Lupin, but the man had changed lately. Every day he looked more and more exhausted and sickly, and he spent long periods of time not speaking to the other Marauders. And whenever they asked him where he had been, he made up some excuse or refused to answer at all.

He had brought up his fears to James, but the other man didn't want to accept it. Sirius knew that James thought it the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends, which he thought was an extremely special virtue. But Merlin, did he have to show that now, when his, Lily's, and Harry's very lives depended on who he trusted? To have Remus here tonight at all, sitting on the Potters' couch and making faces at baby Harry to make him laugh, made Sirius sick. How long could he keep up this façade?

Lily suddenly pulled Sirius out of his thoughts by saying, "I think I'd better go check on the dinner." She handed Harry to James, who took him and held him close, ruffling the boy's black hair.

"It had better be good!" Sirius said, chuckling. Even though he still felt ill inside, he tried his best to keep the mood light. After all, this was the last night the Marauders would be spending together for God knows how long.

Earlier that afternoon, the Fidelius Charm had been cast over the Potters' house, with Peter being the Secret-Keeper. Everyone had been there for the event, all except Remus, who had been told that Sirius was the Secret-Keeper. Sirius hadn't been able to stand the look on James's face as he was convinced that Remus couldn't be trusted with this. But eventually, he'd given in, knowing that this concerned not only his own life, but the lives of Lily and Harry.

Still, though, he'd begged to have Remus over this evening for the Marauders' last hurrah. Peter had sent him a note telling him the secret of the Potters' hideout. Remus, however, had never known it had been him who had written the note, because he'd forged Sirius's handwriting. This was one of the more honed skills Peter had, and it had really done the Marauders well in school, helping in many a prank.

"Boys, I was right! Dinner's ready!" Lily called. With that pronouncement, the Marauders got up from their seats and headed into the kitchen.

"My, my, my! Delicious as always!" Sirius exclaimed as he breathed in the scent of roast chicken. "I can never get enough of your cooking, Lils!"

"Aw, you flatter me, Sirius," Lily grinned as everyone began to tuck in. "Maybe I chose the wrong man. My husband never says things like that."

James adopted a wounded, hurt expression. "I do too! Don't listen to her!" he gasped dramatically. "And you should be honored to have chosen me. Everyone knows I'm better-looking than you are, Sirius!"

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, reaching out and punching James on the arm. "You're not being very nice, Potter!"

Remus and Peter were looking on with amused looks on their faces, and Harry was sitting in his high chair, an innocent, wide-eyed look of wonder on his own tiny face. If only there wasn't so much tension beneath the surface of this scene, Sirius thought wistfully.

It seemed as though the others were thinking along the same lines, because the room then grew silent. All that could be heard was the clanging of silverware and the chink of glasses.

Sirius was about to break the silence by cracking another joke, but James beat him to it. He brought up a topic which he hoped would unite the Marauders: Hogwarts. For minute after minute he kept talking about their escapades. He talked about everything that had happened before the war, before the deaths, before him and his family were put in horrific danger, before the friendship which was supposed to last forever began to destroy itself from the inside out.

And the other Marauders indulged him. For a few blissful minutes, they forgot. They forgot about Lord Voldemort, suspicion, and betrayal. They were just a group of best friends laughing and joking about the good old days. Even Peter, who knew that it was the last time he would ever see James and Lily alive, joined in.

As dinner drew to a close, though, the tense atmosphere returned tenfold. As Sirius and his friends walked out of the kitchen, they knew it was time. In order to keep themselves safe, it was time for them to part from each other. They tried to hold on to the final thread of happiness for as long as they could, but as they walked towards the exit of the house, they knew it had to end.

Remus was the first to make his move. "Guys, I have to go," he said softly, his voice hoarse. There was a deep pain reflected in his eyes as he gazed at the Potters.

That look alone made James even more sure that he wasn't the traitor, and his heart broke. But what else was he supposed to do? He had to protect his family. Maybe ... maybe Remus was being made to tell their secrets unwillingly and was too ashamed to admit it? That wouldn't surprise him, because Remus had always been that kind of person.

He did the one thing he could do to reassure Remus that he would always be there for him, that if he needed anything, he would stop at nothing to make sure it was done. He pulled the exhausted, frail man in for an embrace. "Take care, Remus," he said softly. "Stay safe, now."

Lily hugged Remus as well, her eyes filling. "We love you, Remus," she choked out. "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to call us. You will always be a brother to us. Always."

"Thank you," Remus whispered. "Thank you ... for everything."

And everyone stared on as Remus walked outside the house's boundaries and Disapparated. Lily and James looked as though their hearts had been ripped out, while Peter looked afraid and Sirius just looked blankly ahead. Lily held Harry even closer to her, burying herself in him, trying to forget everything that was happening in reality.

Peter was the one to break the silence that hung between them like a dark cloud. 'I ... I s-suppose I should g-go, too," he stammered.

Lily, James, and Sirius all looked at him meaningfully. James pulled him into an embrace, too. After he pulled back, he looked Peter, a brother of his heart, straight in the eye and spoke.

"I just wanted to tell you, Pete," he said quietly, "that I am so sorry for the way we all treated you in school. We truly underestimated you. You may think I was always closer to Sirius and Remus, but you are my brother, too, Peter. My brother in all but blood. And what you are doing for me, Lily, and Harry now ... I can't tell you how much it means to me. You are one of the greatest friends I could ever ask for. Never, ever forget that."

For a moment, one heart-stopping moment, a wave of guilt crashed over Peter. In that second he almost caved, almost told James everything, everything he had done, wanting his friend, the one he had always counted on in the past, to fix this mess he'd gotten himself into.

But then, he thought of all the times James and Sirius had ridiculed him, picked on him, called him thick, refused to see his point of view. The Dark Lord was giving him protection now. The Dark Lord would never let anything happen to him. With the Dark Lord, he belonged. James and Sirius had been security blankets to him for so many years, but now it was time to let them go. Childhood was over. The time for true power was now.

And it was with this final thought that he mustered enough courage to look back at James with the same intensity that James was looking at him. "Thank you," he said.

James ruffled Peter's hair. "No problem. Stay safe, my friend."

"Yes, please don't get yourself hurt." Lily whispered as she shook Peter's hand. "Take care of yourself."

"I will." Peter said, then turned to walk away. Just as he reached the boundaries, he looked back one last time. Childhood is over. Get a grip, Peter, was his last thought before he Disapparated as well.

And so it was, that James, Lily, and Sirius were the last people standing at the house's entrance. "Do you think Peter's okay?" James asked, his hazel eyes full of worry. "He really doesn't look well. I'm concerned about him."

"Don't worry, Prongs," Sirius said, placing his hand on James's shoulder. "He's fine. He's just scared. He's always been scared."

"I guess that's true," James sighed wearily, rubbing his eyes. "But by doing this for us, he is truly braver than I ever thought him to be."

This statement was followed by the longest of silences. James, Lily, and Sirius all stared at each other, trying to prolong the moment, trying not to think about what would have to happen next.

But finally, with a cracking voice and a heartbroken look in his eyes, Sirius started to say it. "I suppose ... suppose I ..." he whispered, unable to finish.

And then James was striding to him, and he was holding Sirius tight, tighter than he had embraced any of his other friends. Usually, the two of them exchanged thumps on the backs and high-fives when showing gestures of affection, but this was different. This embrace told a story, a story of ten years of love, caring, respect, and fierce protectiveness.

When they drew away, the two just stared at each other. As Sirius's gray eyes locked with James's hazel ones, he put as many unsaid things into the look. And he knew James understood; they'd always been able to communicate like this with each other. The look said many things: You are truly my brother. You saved my soul. I'd die for you. I love you.

"Take care, Sirius," James said softly. "Don't do anything I wouldn't." He chuckled sadly, his attempt at humor falling flat, but Sirius knew he was trying.

"I won't," he answered just as quietly. "See you soon."

"See you soon," James replied. They tried to desperately cling to the fact that this wasn't the end, that they would be reunited one day. Neither of them wanted to say that hated word. That hated, dreaded, awful word. Goodbye.

Lily then threw herself at Sirius too, not being able to hide the tears streaming down her face. She held Sirius close, little Harry squirming between them. "We love you, Padfoot," she said, her voice raw.

"I love you too. Always." Sirius said, his own eyes stinging as he walked out of the house and to his flying motorbike. He jumped on and started the engine, giving the Potters a last, weak smile.

And as he flew away into the night, he stared at the little family, the family who meant more to him than his real one had ever done, stared at them until he couldn't see them anymore. This isn't goodbye, he thought desperately as a single tear ran down his cheek, the lump in his throat refusing to go away. It isn't. It isn't.

But as he flew farther and farther away from Godric's Hollow, it grew more and more difficult to convince himself that was true.


End file.
